I found Belgium’s Best Chocolatier…in Paris. Pierre Marcolini has a giant sign hanging from the side of the scaffolding-covered building that says “Pierre Marcolini, c’est ici!” so I followed.
The interior is much more serious than the Parisian boutiques. The sales woman approached me before I made it through the doorway. I told her I wanted to look at some chocolate before I decided, and I wandered around the store. The walls hold hundreds of bars of chocolate, or Carré2Chocolat (chocolate squares). He is very serious about his ingredients because each bar comes with a booklet of the origins of the ingredients—some are even “special editions” as if Africa is really going to run out of cocoa beans. I decided that instead of committing to one bar, I’d try some smaller Palet Fins and Pralines; Pierre Marcolini (yes, it was named after himself- he’s the best, he can do whatever he wants), Chocolat Noir (from somewhere in Latin America), The Citron (Infused with Lemon Tea), and Violet. I ate them in that order too from the front steps of the Opera Garnier- because that’s just the most natural place to sit and enjoy chocolates in Paris. The first two were delicious; perfect texture, meltiness, and smooth- you come to expect that here. I was excited about the Lemon since I developed a new love for lemon and chocolate, but it was a little disappointing in the fact that you could taste the tea- which is probably a good quality in a chocolatier’s mind. En fin, Violet. Skeptical? No, drop dead AMAZING. It tasted like Paris springtime on my tongue. I might start dipping all the beautiful springtime flowers here in chocolate and become a chocolatier myself.
